Red Zone Report: Week 1 (Fantasy Football)

Getting through the noise after the first week of the NFL Season is tough for fantasy managers, but one of the best things to look at each week is which players their teams relied on near the goal line!

Each week throughout the fantasy season, we will check in on the red zone carries and targets to see who we need to make sure is in our fantasy lineup or who maybe needs to be added from week to week! We will also look at week-to-week trends for players who dominated the red zone in a given week and keep an eye on season-long red zone totals!

Let’s hop into the Week 1 Red Zone Report!

Week 1 Red Zone Carries

Jahmyr Gibbs (DET)

Sure, it is a little chalky to start with the 1.01 in most league drafts, but Jahmyr Gibbs absolutely delivered on his high draft capital to start the season. Gibbs led the league in red zone carries in Week 1 and, more importantly, found the end zone twice against the Saints. The hopes fantasy managers had of a gigantic workload are off to a good start, with Gibbs getting a massive 34 total opportunities to kick off the season. With any luck, Gibbs will be near the top of the season-long red zone list and be one of the few top picks who can return as the RB1 on the season.

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Derrick Henry (BAL)

The King stays the king to start 2026 with Derrick Henry’s massive RB1 finish to kick off the season for fantasy managers. There is always concern about Henry’s red zone work being siphoned off by the legs of Lamar Jackson, and while the Ravens QB did have a rushing TD, Henry got plenty of work inside the 20, leading the league in rushing yards in the red zone this week. The consistency that Henry brings near paydirt should keep him as a regular on this list for most of the season.

David Montgomery (HOU)

There were plenty of worries around David Montgomery’s move to Houston, but the new Texans RB made a pretty clear statement in Week 1 that he is the preferred back around the end zone for this offense. Montgomery was the only Texans RB with a carry inside the 20 and punched in two TDs to kick the season off. There were shades of 2024 Joe Mixon during his stint with Houston in Montgomery’s production from Week 1, which could mean he will be a great value for fantasy managers who took him as a mid-round pick.

Chuba Hubbard (CAR)

Ambiguous backfields are where real fantasy value can be found, and Chuba Hubbard is a name worth noting after Week 1. Chuba not only finished as the RB10 for Week 1, but he was the clear red zone RB for the Panthers, with fellow RB Jonathon Brooks not seeing a single carry inside the 20. Things still have time to shift for Hubbard as Brooks works his way back into playing full-time football for the first time in three years, but this should be a very encouraging start for fantasy managers who took a shot on Chuba this draft season.

Week 1 Red Zone Receiving

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Trey McBride (ARI)

Any concerns that a revamped offense would be a deterrent to the return of Trey McBride for fantasy greatness should be put to bed after a strong Week 1 from the Cardinals TE. McBride not only led Arizona’s offense in targets, receptions, and receiving yards and caught the lone passing TD on the day, but he continued to be a threat in the red zone like he was in 2025. While he only caught one of these four targets inside the 20, McBride was tied for the league lead in red zone targets in the opening week, which is encouraging for his continued high ceiling going forward.

Ashton Jeanty (LV)

It is uncommon to have an RB this high on the red zone targets list, but Ashton Jeanty was an absolute monster in Week 1 for the Raiders. Jeanty led all players in red zone receptions and receiving yards while grabbing two TDs in Las Vegas’ season-opening win. The changes made to the Raiders’ offensive line and offense as a whole were reason enough to believe that Jeanty could be a top-5 RB, but if he is going to be used this consistently in the passing game around the goal line, he could have the overall RB1 in his range of outcomes.

Amon-Ra St. Brown (DET)

Finally, we get to a WR, but it is no surprise to see Amon-Ra St. Brown at the top of the list in the red zone again. Amon-Ra picked up right where he left off in 2025 when he led the league in red zone receptions and caught 10 TDs. After Week 1, St. Brown is well on his way to repeating his red zone production from last season with two TDs inside the 20 on Sunday against the Saints. 

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Isaiah Likely (NYG)

An unlikely name fantasy managers might have expected to see in the red zone report is Isaiah Likely, but after his big debut for the Giants, it is definitely deserved. Likely had the eye of Jaxson Dart Sunday night, finishing as the TE1 on the week behind a pair of red zone TDs. The free agent addition currently sits second in the league in red zone receiving yards after catching all three of his targets inside the 20. As a late-round TE value, Likely might be a season-changing addition to rosters after such a strong start.